Glamour Factory: Inside Hollywood's Big Studio System

By Ronald L. Davis

Book Overview

In its heyday Hollywood's big studio system mirrored the corporate ideology that catapulted the United States into economic prominence. By the mid-1920s power was consolidated into four major studios: Metro-Goldyn-Mayer, Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros., all appropriating the assembly line approach of the Detroit automobile manufacturers. The Glamour Factory is the story of the motion picture business, told with the help of hundreds of insiders--from stars, directors, and producers to stuntmen, hairstylists, makeup artists, and publicists--who watched and contributed to the industry while magic was being made. Much of this story is drawn from the Southern Methodist University Oral History Collection on the Performing Arts, which the author founded.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806160306
• ISBN13: 9780806160306
• Release Date: March 2018
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Best book on Hollywood I've ever read

Did you know Coco Chanel designed costumes for three films? Do you know the difference between a first, second, and third AD? Do you know what a key light is? Can you tell the difference between a Paramount film and an MGM film? This book addresses them all beautifully and entertainingly. It is immensely readable and is based on oral histories kept in the collections of SMU -- all the Hollywood greats are quoted extensively. The book is broken down into logical chapters (actors, costumes, music, the set, etc) and you'll have trouble putting it down. Good for any film buff's collection.